The year is 1539, and Jane Boleyn is waiting for her inheritance after the death of her husband. Anne, Duchess of Cleves, is to become the next Queen of England, and a young maiden by the name of Katherine Howard is eagerly anticipating the day she will be sent to the Tudor court. Philippa Gregory’s The Boleyn Inheritance tells the story of these three vastly different women whose lives become intertwined as they try survive the corrupt and unstable environment of King Henry VIII’s English court.

After the death of her husband and sister-in-law and having barely escaped the executioner’s axe, herself, Jane Boleyn fled from court life. Years later, she is still suffering from the guilt that she put her kin to death by giving evidence against them for treason and adultery. She is, however, eventually called back to Court by her Uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, to serve the new Queen Anne of Cleves. Later on Jane also proves useful in helping place her distant cousin, Katherine Howard, on the throne instead.

Anne of Cleves is desperate to escape her brother and his overbearing rule, so when King Henry chooses her as his next wife, she becomes hopeful for this new beginning. Things go all wrong, however, when the King comes to meet her in disguise (unknown to her), and she rejects him thinking he is just a fat, old drunkard. Needless to say, it’s a bad start to her short reign as Queen, and the most powerful man in England is not amused.

At fourteen years old, Katherine Howard is a young, naïve girl about to start her life as a lady-in-waiting in Queen Anne’s court. “Little Kitty Howard,” as she is nicknamed by the Queen, exudes a similar charm and determination as her late cousin, Anne Boleyn. She is the life of the party, the most beautiful girl in the court, and she very quickly catches the eye of the King. It’s not long before the marriage between Anne of Cleves and King Henry is annulled (under the notion that she was previously betrothed), and Katherine ascends the throne. Yet Katherine, still only a teenage girl, falls in love with one of the King’s most trusted courtiers and begins having an affair, in part thanks to the encouragement from Jane Boleyn and the Duke of Norfolk.

These three characters which Philippa Gregory has chosen as her narrarators are probably the three which historians know the least about. For a book such as this one, it worked well in Gregory’s favor. Each character has their own unique voice and in such offers their own perspective to the progressing storyline. For example, we never see when Anne finds out she has been chosen as Queen. Instead, we learn of this from Jane Boleyn.

The fact that Anne of Cleves was able to survive Henry’s reign really says a lot about her character. This is quite an exceptional feat given all his other wives had died by his command, except for one other who ended up outliving the King. Anne of Cleves was easily one of my favorite characters and Gregory excelled in shaping her personality. She is portrayed as a calm, caring, and good-natured woman who only wants to be a good Queen to the English people and a good stepmother to the King’s children. She becomes a very well respected woman in the kingdom after the end of her marriage, and even King Henry is eager to have her around as his “sister.” Anne of Cleve’s character remains useful and vital to the story following Katherine Howard’s coronation. Gregory cleverly uses her to give an outsiders perspective on what is happening in England while Katherine and Jane’s chapters clearly show how they are too immersed with themselves and Court life to give much notice to anything else.

It’s always challenging when writing a book with historical facts backing it because there are bound to be several readers who know how the story ends. However, the pace at which The Boleyn Inheritance is told hooks the reader immediately and makes you want to read until the very last page. It’s difficult to put this book down, let alone get the characters out of your head, especially since these were real people and it’s hard to imagine what they really went through!

The Boleyn Inheritance. Author: Philippa Gregory. Reviewed by Stephanie J. Page Count: 512. Published in 2006.